The Lego Movie review

A movie about one of the most basic children’s toys ever invented doesn’t sound like something that would get off the ground, but somehow, it all manages to come together brilliantly in The Lego Movie. Part satire on a contemporary culture that’s all about fitting in with the status quo, part spoof of some of the most popular epic action movies of recent years, The Lego Movie delivers a strong story that’s full of humour and inventiveness, and gets right to the heart of what playing with Lego is all about.

Brighten up your week

If the Oscars 2014 line up is looking a little sombre for you, then The Lego Movie is a fresh alternative with a fantastically talented cast showing off their skills, through a light-hearted but well crafted story. Will Farrell, Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks are just some of the big names behind the hectic, colourful Lego Universe. The movie follows the travails of Emmet Brickowski, a simple but sweet construction worker, who just wants to fit in with all the other pieces of the world around him. He wants to be liked by his friends, drink his over-priced Venti coffee, listen to inane techno music and find happiness, as defined in the President Business guidebook to life. His humble aspirations are sent spiralling into chaos, however, when an evil plot unfolds around him, and draws him in as the unwitting lead. He’s suddenly cast as a Matrix-style hero who must go forth and battle with malevolent forces, and save the natural order of the Lego world.

Pop culture references

Perhaps aptly, The Lego Movie brings together a mishmash of pop culture references, building like misshapen, multi-coloured bricks, that don’t necessarily all fit in as smoothly as you’d like. Christopher Nolan’s dark, broody version of Batman pops up to provide a suitably brooding relief to Emmet’s insufferably cheerful demeanour, while a Gandalf-like wizard called Vitruvius, gives sage advice to our hero. Added to the mix are UniKitty, a unicorn/cat hybrid that brings together everything twee, hyper-coloured and sparkly, and a slightly dim-witted space astronaut. On the other side of the good versus evil dichotomy, you have the fiendish President Business, with an afro to rival Don King, and keeping up with the Matrix references, a Janus-headed good cop/bad cop, with the malicious hiss of Agent Smith.

Fun for all ages

References for the grown-ups are all well and good, but ultimately this is a kids’ film, and as such it delivers all of the action, slapstick comedy and moral lessons you’ll want to see. Its light-hearted jokes, dizzying animation which whizzes you through different Lego worlds, and familiar scenarios will have audiences of all ages nodding in appreciation. Sweet and surreal in equal measures, The Lego Movie makes for great all-round entertainment.